There weren’t many positives for Liverpool to take from Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup loss against Tottenham Hotspur.

For the second game in a row the Reds were flat and lacked inspiration, few individuals stood out, while Jarell Quansah’s early withdrawal due to illness was a shame for both the team and player. To compound matters, Spurs’ late winner arrived in controversial circumstances with Lucas Bergvall scoring mere minutes after he should have been shown a second yellow card for a robust challenge on Kostas Tsimikas.

But on a disappointing night for Liverpool, the impact of Trent Alexander-Arnold off the bench was a major bonus.

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Little was made of Arne Slot’s decision to drop the right-back before the game, even if he was one of the few regulars relegated to the bench. Andy Roberston and Luis Diaz joined the England international on the bench, all of whom have played significant minutes in recent weeks and had ready-made replacements available.

With Liverpool struggling to find a way through the compact Spurs defence, Alexander-Arnold’s introduction on the hour was an obvious gambit from Slot. It didn’t quite pay off, but the 26-year-old put in an encouraging display.

He was unfortunate to see a powerful shot cleared off the line by Radu Dragusin late on, while no player completed more passes into the final third of the pitch, despite Alexander-Arnold only playing 30 minutes in north London.

Perhaps more importantly, the defender had forgone the sluggishness and casual approach that drew such criticism in the wake of the Manchester United draw. He was up for this one, ready to silence the growing number of detractors.

Despite some harsh assessments surfacing online, match-going fans clearly haven’t lost faith with the ‘Scouser in our team’. That chant greeted Alexander-Arnold from the away end as he entered the pitch at Tottenham - it could be the most significant moment of the night for Liverpool. Supporters may still have the biggest role to play in convincing the boyhood red to remain on Merseyside beyond the summer.

Alexander-Arnold’s impact off the bench was also a slight reminder to Slot of the talent he possesses. Conor Bradley earned praise for his cameo in the United draw and impressed again at right-back on Wednesday, starting his first match in six weeks.

There’s no doubt that Liverpool has an apt replacement should Alexander-Arnold move on this summer, but the Tottenham display also underlined how much of a downgrade Bradley would be in terms of creativity and influence on the ball.

The Northern Irishman could be handed another start at the weekend against Accrington Stanley - why not afford Alexander-Arnold a minor break in the midst of a packed winter schedule? It might also afford Anfield the chance to serenade its star man once again from the bench and banish the negativity that abruptly emerged on Sunday evening.